Friday Fajitas – Mexican food made easy

When I was growing up I thought Mexican food was all about tacos out of an Old El Paso box.

Now, I’m not going to say I never use the packet option - I do, cos I really think it’s yummy – but fajitas made from scratch would have to be my favourite!

That, and they’re pretty healthy – which is always a criteria for me these days, unless it’s a special treat – and there’s always room for those!

I love it because the chicken mixture is full of flavour, but fat-free and with this one, I added minimal cheese to mine, and we had it with Greek yogurt – rather than sour cream. It’s one of these things you love to make when you have lots of family over and you want to pop a whole bunch of dishes in the middle of the table and everyone can build their own. It looks colourful, generous and utterly yummy!

Fajitas

1 red capsicum, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 large chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ a tsp of ground cumin

The juice of two limes

1 glug of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6 small four tortillas

½ cup plain yogurt

a handful of grated tasty cheese

Salsa
½–1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped

15 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

A few tbs of chopped coriander (I substituted with Parsley because I had run out)

Salt and pepper to taste

The juice of 1 lime

Guacamole

a small handful of cherry tomatoes

1/2 fresh red chilli, finely chopped

1 tbs of chopped coriander (once again, I used parsley, but not as good)

1 ripe avocado

The juice of 1 lime

 

Method

Combine the chicken, capsicum, onion paprika and cumin in a large bowl. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime, drizzle over a lug of olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and mix well.

Put to one side to marinate for 5 minutes while you make your salsa.

At this point, turn on your frypan to heart up.

To make the salsa, chop all ingredients, combine and set aside.

Once the pan is hot, add the chicken mix and stir regularly until cooked through – this should take no more than 10 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, assemble all the ingredients for the guacamole. Smash everything with a fork, give it a good stir, and set aside.

Place everything into serving bowls, including the grated cheese and the yogurt. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds and place everything on the table.

This makes enough to serve 3 to 4 people. I ate two fajitas, and that was plenty for me. If you over indulged – it wouldn’t be a very healthy dish – but everything is good in moderation!